tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80142473225013952212017-08-17T21:41:54.512-04:00KaintuckeeanExploring the history, historic preservation, urban planning, and pretty much all things Kentucky with a special focus on both Lexington, Kentucky and the Bluegrass region. Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.comBlogger959125http://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.giftag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-28533336082662789362017-08-02T06:54:00.000-04:002017-08-02T07:16:28.176-04:00An Unusual Landmark: Lexington's Miller House<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rulE4GHlqs/WYGmg1193EI/AAAAAAAAwR8/M6_oHBRTBfQ2bpaKE2SzLOr_-q7PRHbpACLcBGAs/s1600/832%2BLochmere%2BMiller%2BHouse%2B1%2Bsrc%2BZillow.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="1024" height="375" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rulE4GHlqs/WYGmg1193EI/AAAAAAAAwR8/M6_oHBRTBfQ2bpaKE2SzLOr_-q7PRHbpACLcBGAs/s640/832%2BLochmere%2BMiller%2BHouse%2B1%2Bsrc%2BZillow.jpg.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Miller House - 832 Lochmere Place, Lexington, Ky. <i>Zillow</i>. </td></tr></tbody></table><div>In 1988, Robert and Penny Miller commissioned <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Oubrerie"> José Oubrerie </a> to design and build for them a home on a twenty-acre tract for them in what was then a rural part of Fayette County, Kentucky. An essay by <a href="https://taubmancollege.umich.edu/faculty/directory/john-mcmorrough"> John McMorrough </a>contained in the book, <em><a href="http://amzn.to/2hncOT6">Et in Suburbia Ego: José Oubrerie&#39;s Miller House</a></em>, describes some of the Miller&#39;s ambitions with the project.<br><br></div><div></div><div>Oubrerie &quot;liked <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldo_van_Eyck">Aldo van Eyck</a> &#39;s idea of &#39;a city is like a house, a house is like a city&#39; and so he designed a structure where each resident might have their &quot;own little house&quot; &quot;inside the citadel.&quot; While public or common areas dominate the ground level, each person would have their own exit from their &quot;little house&quot; allowing each occupant to have full independence from the other residents. With grown children, the Miller&#39;s sought that each member of the family could have their own space.<br><br></div><div></div><div>As the home rose from the ground, the fluid design continued to change. According to Oubrerie, this was a source of consternation among contractors but was one of the lessons the architect had learned from his mentor, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corbusier">LeCorbusier</a>: &quot;as long as something is not built, there is still time.&quot; In the design of the Miller House, the approach worked because the parts of the house were disassociated from one another. As new elements were introduced into the project, the site changed creating what Oubrerie called a &quot;creative construction process.&quot; <br><br></div><div></div><div>The result is José Oubrerie&#39;s masterpiece.<br><br></div><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/08/the-miller-house-oubrerie.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/ZO9oDWFTcjE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/08/the-miller-house-oubrerie.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-45927581134498097522017-07-21T20:45:00.001-04:002017-07-21T20:45:04.818-04:00A Day Journal: Lexington by Bike<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dscHux-hm-c/WXKU90oPkmI/AAAAAAAAwQg/5INED8STs6QXHJ9a_5y0r6t3qhcySjP_QCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot%2B2017-07-21%2B19.56.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="844" height="448" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dscHux-hm-c/WXKU90oPkmI/AAAAAAAAwQg/5INED8STs6QXHJ9a_5y0r6t3qhcySjP_QCLcBGAs/s640/Screenshot%2B2017-07-21%2B19.56.02.png" width="640"></a></div>For those that have followed this blog for some time, you know I think that Lexington is an amazing city. Whenever my sister comes to visit, I love taking her on a bike ride to show her what has changed in the city where we spent so many years growing up. So we did Lexington by bike.<br><br>We ventured recently on a 5-hour, 10.4 mile tour (no-destination-style at an ultra-leisurely pace) with just a couple of targets in mind: we wanted to enjoy a couple brews from stops on the Brewgrass Trail. I wanted to show her what&#39;s going on in the Distillery District and we wanted to pass our old Kentucky home.<br><br>We pulled our bikes off the bike rack where we parked on North Limestone in front of LTMS. We passed the old the <a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2013/07/fourth-street-episopal-mission.html">old Episcopal mission</a> on Fourth Street before cutting through the campus of Transylvania University and beside <a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2011/10/walklex-transylvanian-tomb-and-legends.html">Old Morrison</a>.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/07/lexington-by-bike.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/Cb111aPUfv0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/07/lexington-by-bike.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-42443479784799651592017-07-03T15:13:00.000-04:002017-07-03T15:14:58.175-04:00A Cinematic deTour: Belle Brezing<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UxFiY2hOY2Y/WVqV5QEaewI/AAAAAAAAwLU/TrA-KdiBkzYnW39YTzprDeP0FfwHWRkzwCLcBGAs/s1600/Beele-Brezing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="718" height="423" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UxFiY2hOY2Y/WVqV5QEaewI/AAAAAAAAwLU/TrA-KdiBkzYnW39YTzprDeP0FfwHWRkzwCLcBGAs/s640/Beele-Brezing.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belle Brezing. UK Now Photo.</td></tr></tbody></table>Kentucky&#39;s most reputed madame is the subject of July&#39;s Blue Grass Trust deTour which will feature a showing of <i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BelleBrezingDocumentary/">Belle Brezing and the Gilded Age of the Bluegrass</a>. </i><br><br>This Kentucky production tells the story of Belle Brezing, the Lexington madam with a nationwide reputation for running the Victorian era’s most “Orderly of Dis-Orderly homes.” With a head for business in the business of sex, Belle’s story is woven into the age when the equine and bourbon industries grew to new heights. In her influential parlors, she and her ladies plied their trade from the end of the 19th century through the start of World War I. The film details Brezing’s journey from hardscrabble youth to the “Baroness of the Brothel,” while becoming the nearly undeniable inspiration for Belle Watley in Gone with the Wind. Produced and directed by Doug High.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/07/a-cinematic-detour-belle-brezing.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/6HTwBlQek4M" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/07/a-cinematic-detour-belle-brezing.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-69770202241148734202017-04-28T13:11:00.000-04:002017-04-28T13:25:28.033-04:00May's Fab 4 deTour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WCue2l7XW0M/WQNs-bibrDI/AAAAAAAAwE8/bEha5KgRwXYqusL-eGQdysp710Sar6IsACLcB/s1600/Screenshot%2B2017-04-26%2B10.14.11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WCue2l7XW0M/WQNs-bibrDI/AAAAAAAAwE8/bEha5KgRwXYqusL-eGQdysp710Sar6IsACLcB/s1600/Screenshot%2B2017-04-26%2B10.14.11.png"></a></div><br>The May “Fab Four BGT deTour” will feature the interiors and gardens of four private residences located on Bullock Place and Hambrick Place.<br><br>Bullock Place and Hambrick Place parallel East Main Street behind the Fayette County Public Schools Central Office, which is the old Henry Clay High School.<br><br>As you stroll between these properties, be sure to observe the house at 715 Bullock Place as it is the oldest residence on the street. It was built by the adventurer James Masterson on a tract of 100 acres that he purchased from Col. James Wilkerson. Masterson died in 1838 and the property was divided between his widow and five children. This particular acreage came into the hands of Major Robert S. Bullock by 1873.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/04/mays-fab-4-detour.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/SYo52rUqtHs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/04/mays-fab-4-detour.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-22584225456756805402017-02-22T10:43:00.001-05:002017-02-22T10:43:51.716-05:00George Kinkead House is Home to Living Arts & Science Center<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rTED97jKu9Y/WK2u2tlD4wI/AAAAAAAAgwg/eFSdIaF1DP4rEWX2MC3OV9oUFpujubiMQCLcB/s1600/Front-View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rTED97jKu9Y/WK2u2tlD4wI/AAAAAAAAgwg/eFSdIaF1DP4rEWX2MC3OV9oUFpujubiMQCLcB/s640/Front-View.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Architect&#39;s Rendering. <i>LASC</i>. </td></tr></tbody></table>At 362 North Walnut Street stands the old antebellum mansion historically known as the George B. Kinkead House. The house has been the home to the Living Arts and Science Center since 1971. In 2011, a modern 11,000 square foot addition was proposed to the facility to grow LASC&#39;s programming capacity and physical footprint. The old mansion is approximately 7,000 square feet.<br><br><h4>The Home</h4>In 1847, George B. Kinkead had constructed a Greek Revival two-story townhouse and the home was adapted at least twice during the family&#39;s ownership. Around the time of the Civil War, the building was &quot;Italicized&quot; &quot;with the addition of a third-floor attic and probably a two-story section on the north side of the main block.&quot;<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/02/george-kinkead-house-is-home-to-living.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/Jx7YU2GdI24" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/02/george-kinkead-house-is-home-to-living.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-54068642095314320132017-02-15T18:00:00.000-05:002017-02-15T18:00:11.789-05:00Peabody-Fordson now a National Register Historic District <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2EYBH9V-klQ/WKSFxGI0jKI/AAAAAAAAgug/5xhHcnVKwe0bbl_CKRyunssRrwEorfR7wCLcB/s1600/Redbird%2BClubhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2EYBH9V-klQ/WKSFxGI0jKI/AAAAAAAAgug/5xhHcnVKwe0bbl_CKRyunssRrwEorfR7wCLcB/s640/Redbird%2BClubhouse.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Club House at Peabody-Fordson District. <i><a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/dbnf/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5285759">USDA Forest Service</a>.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>On February 1, 2017, the Department of the Interior approved updates to the 1989 inclusion of the <b>Peabody-Fordson Historic District </b>to the National Register of Historic Places. Located in the Big Creek vicinity in Clay County, Kentucky, Peabody-Fordson is also known as the Redbird Ranger Office Complex and are used by the U.S. Forest Service.<br><br>Although Forest Service has razed various structures over the years, 3 contributing buildings and 3 contributing structures are included in the district. The district is interpreted as a &quot;late 19th and early 20th century commercial operation centered upon extraction of timber and minerals from this portion of eastern Kentucky.&quot; Brother at 3.<br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8pnFavooKg8/WKSGE8DLXlI/AAAAAAAAguk/lAcRz3j-nAclaKgcu74Z7jpZ4YuHJsdbgCLcB/s1600/Peabody%2BEnergy%2Blogo%2B2011.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8pnFavooKg8/WKSGE8DLXlI/AAAAAAAAguk/lAcRz3j-nAclaKgcu74Z7jpZ4YuHJsdbgCLcB/s200/Peabody%2BEnergy%2Blogo%2B2011.png" width="200"></a></div>The names Peabody and Fordson relate to the corporate owners of the land. Peabody Coal Company acquired 110,000 acres of Kentucky lands; it was one of the nation&#39;s largest coal companies and its successor, Peabody Energy, is the world&#39;s largest private sector coal company.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peabody_Energy">*</a> Peabody spent much of its efforts in the vicinity addressing inaccurate land records resulting from <a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/10/metes-and-bounds-measuring-up-kentucky.html">shoddy surveying</a> in Kentucky. In 1923, Peabody sold the tracts to Fordson Coal Company which was a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford wanted to vertically integrate his supply chain and needed coal resources to do so. It was under the Fordson ownership that the contributing buildings in the District were constructed.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/02/peabody-fordson-historic-district.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/7VOJ-DqeVSk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/02/peabody-fordson-historic-district.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-63923274705973110522017-01-27T11:22:00.000-05:002017-01-27T19:40:43.090-05:00Loudoun House is Among Finest Gothic Revival Homes in the South<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2XzZPFfHFQ/WItx4rsvOXI/AAAAAAAAgrY/IRFklnABAaE1bszIEDOXM2Nk_fykF_a6QCLcB/s1600/Loudon%2BHouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2XzZPFfHFQ/WItx4rsvOXI/AAAAAAAAgrY/IRFklnABAaE1bszIEDOXM2Nk_fykF_a6QCLcB/s1600/Loudon%2BHouse.JPG"></a></div>Owned by the City of Lexington, the historic <b>Loudoun House</b> will be the site of the next BGT deTour on Wednesday, February 1, 2017. Check out all the details below and say <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1192310607490058/">&quot;I&#39;m going!&quot; on Facebook by clicking here</a>!<br><br>Loudoun House was built in 1850 for Francis Key Hunt, one of John Wesley Hunt and Catherine Hunt&#39;s twelve children. The Gothic revival is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been the home to the Lexington Art League since 1984.<br><br>The home was designed by New York architect Alexander Jackson Davis and is believed to be one of only five surviving castellated Gothic Revival villas in the United States designed by Davis. The home was constructed by local builder John McMurtry who popularized Davis&#39; Gothic Revival designs in the Bluegrass. Ingleside, once along South Broadway, was a companion home to Loudoun House that was demolished in 1964.<br><br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/01/loudon-house-is-among-finest-gothic.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/a6F4GK0rlVo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/01/loudon-house-is-among-finest-gothic.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-12960588392397374582017-01-20T08:19:00.000-05:002017-01-20T08:19:58.565-05:00Inauguration Day in America<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6sWQIzqX9aY/WIICwc8OEuI/AAAAAAAAgqU/8ZhsOPDMj6wUDVIfWbaPjb6QeZ4zMoqfwCLcB/s1600/PA%2BAve%2BOld%2BPost%2BOffice.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6sWQIzqX9aY/WIICwc8OEuI/AAAAAAAAgqU/8ZhsOPDMj6wUDVIfWbaPjb6QeZ4zMoqfwCLcB/s640/PA%2BAve%2BOld%2BPost%2BOffice.jpeg" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Post Office in Washington, D.C. in 2009. Today, it is the home of the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C.</td></tr></tbody></table>I have loved politics ever since I was five, probably because I&#39;m a political news junkie. At different times I&#39;ve been a conservative Republican, an independent thinker, and a rather liberal Democrat. </div><div><br></div><div>No, this is not a political blog (nor is it becoming one). And this is not intended to be a political post. It&#39;s just my recounting of a few of my favorite political memories: attending presidential inaugurations in both 2001 and 2009. They were different experiences and, today, I&#39;m in a unique position as I am not attending an inaugural of a new president for the first time since 1993.<br><br>Enjoy!<br><br></div><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/01/inauguration-day-in-america.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/onS4UKCTw1w" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2017/01/inauguration-day-in-america.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-15133731276633355692016-12-28T10:28:00.001-05:002016-12-28T10:28:56.672-05:00Fun With Flags: Kentucky Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wkWox2h09oI/WGPRLkIUryI/AAAAAAAAgmo/5vqJvyb9vh8V-XH4c3IL046PG5dTx5unACLcB/s1600/LFUCG%2BFlag.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wkWox2h09oI/WGPRLkIUryI/AAAAAAAAgmo/5vqJvyb9vh8V-XH4c3IL046PG5dTx5unACLcB/s640/LFUCG%2BFlag.png" width="640"></a></div>I&#39;m kind of a flag nerd. I&#39;ve always had a thing for flags. When I was little, I&#39;d always get the flag for the state or country I was visiting. Sometimes, I&#39;d even <a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2011/11/walklex-lexingtons-council-chambers.html">correct an improper flag display</a>. And I love Dr. Sheldon Cooper Presents Fun With Flags segments on CBS&#39; <i>Big Bang Theory</i>!<br><br>So when I saw the cover of today&#39;s <i>Herald-Leader</i>, I was excited to see the prominent display of the flag for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government prominently placed above the fold. And below the fold was the headline: &quot;<a href="http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article123094559.html">Does Lexington need a memorable city flag?</a>&quot;<br><br>The short answer is a resounding YES! But the longer answer is, of course, more interesting. The article notes two groups (Lexington firefighters and 8th graders at Lexington Christian Academy) that are pushing for a new flag and promoting a few of their own designs.<br><br>The H-L article prompted me to watch an 18-minute TED talk by Roman Mars which I&#39;ve embedded below. Mars discusses the elements of a good flag and gives examples of both good and bad flags. Countries are pretty good at making strong banners, but American cities are pretty horrible at the task. Mars even featured Lexington&#39;s own flag as a &quot;bad flag&quot; example, which is what prompted the firefighters mentioned above to take on their effort.<br><br>What makes a good flag? According to the North American Vexillogical Association, or NMVA, (far bigger flag nerds than I), there are five key principles:<br><blockquote class="tr_bq">1. Keep it Simple<br>2. Use Meaningful Symbolism<br>3. Use 2 or 3 Basic Colors<br>4. No Lettering or Seals<br>5. Be Distinctive or Be Related. </blockquote>All of this makes sense. In fact, these are pretty good design principles overall. So how do Kentucky flags stack up on this scale? The Kentucky flag itself is, like the Lexington flag, an SOB (seal on a bedsheet). It&#39;s just a blue background with the state seal on it. Pretty boring, indistinctive, and not simple (in that the details of the seal itself are complex).<br><br>Other cities in Kentucky vary...<br><br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/12/fun-with-flags.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/8t6P36_UaCI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/12/fun-with-flags.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-603115879853671232016-11-03T15:28:00.000-04:002016-11-03T16:06:39.738-04:00Uncertain Fate for 1914 Neo-Classical Home in Nicholasville, Kentucky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2hHJvJxTeHM/WBuCROo2WRI/AAAAAAAAf7I/HoWjyD6hx6gbja2Ox5Lb6vXtw5HUnUSiACLcB/s1600/Demo%2BWatch%2B1201%2BS%2BMain%2BNicholasville.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2hHJvJxTeHM/WBuCROo2WRI/AAAAAAAAf7I/HoWjyD6hx6gbja2Ox5Lb6vXtw5HUnUSiACLcB/s1600/Demo%2BWatch%2B1201%2BS%2BMain%2BNicholasville.jpg"></a></div>At an auction yesterday, a century-old home on the south side of Nicholasville was auctioned off. The property located at 1201 South Main Street was advertised as including over 32 acres ripe for development. So the question is will this circa 1914 home be standing in a year (or even a month)?<br><br>The answer to that question is unknown.<br><br>So what is at risk of being demolished?<br><br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/11/nicholasville-1201-south-main.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/f1Evii3sO6M" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/11/nicholasville-1201-south-main.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-35304212631406482382016-09-01T07:30:00.000-04:002016-09-01T07:30:00.331-04:00Then & Now: Impeachment in Kentucky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oHPm5FsVmsk/V8cR4u_JgkI/AAAAAAAAcf4/PC8nh9R7ziYB5F-klI852fZpc4qmSYMsgCLcB/s1600/Bevin%2BMeyer%2BHL.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oHPm5FsVmsk/V8cR4u_JgkI/AAAAAAAAcf4/PC8nh9R7ziYB5F-klI852fZpc4qmSYMsgCLcB/s1600/Bevin%2BMeyer%2BHL.png"></a></div>If you&#39;ve followed local news in Kentucky the past few days, the word &quot;impeachment&quot; has come up more than once. It was front page news in Wednesday&#39;s news. (<a href="http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/article98774122.html">August 31, 2016</a>). That&#39;s because of a news story out of Jessamine County. I&#39;m not going to go into the issues on this site because there are plenty of news sites covering the story du jour. Let&#39;s just say that Kentucky is living up to its hype as the place where &quot;<a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2010/11/politics-damnedest-in-kentucky.html">politics [are] the damnedest</a>.&quot;<br><br>Let&#39;s instead look at the historical side of impeachment in Kentucky. In 1991, the Legislative Research Commission published an Informational Bulletin entitled <a href="http://www.lrc.ky.gov/lrcpubs/IB176.pdf">Impeachment in Kentucky</a> &quot;designed to assist future legislatures in conducting impeachments, and to provide the public with a look into the process itself.&quot;<br><br>Section 68 of Kentucky&#39;s 1891 Constitution provides that the &quot;Governor and all civil officers&quot; are subject to impeachment. Throughout the history of the Commonwealth, however, there have been only four impeachments. These are there stories.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/09/impeachment-in-kentucky.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/xhKCmNvX9UU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/09/impeachment-in-kentucky.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-6261591070807889532016-08-30T23:32:00.000-04:002016-08-30T23:32:22.706-04:00City of Frankfort Seeks Demolition of Old YMCA<blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tdr5rB9jD4Y/V8Y70yAnrhI/AAAAAAAAcew/-D8usZ33IOoqQVflUs5S7ePiC5mNoLTzQCLcB/s1600/ymca%2Bgym.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tdr5rB9jD4Y/V8Y70yAnrhI/AAAAAAAAcew/-D8usZ33IOoqQVflUs5S7ePiC5mNoLTzQCLcB/s1600/ymca%2Bgym.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Old YMCA in Frankfort. <i>Franklin County Trust for Historic Preservation.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Young man, there&#39;s no need to feel down.<br>I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.<br>I said, young man, &#39;cause you&#39;re in a new town<br>There&#39;s no need to be unhappy.</blockquote>If the Village People&#39;s young man is a historic preservationist, then he might be unhappy. Especially if his new town is Frankfort, Kentucky.<br><br>That&#39;s because nearly a week ago, on August 24, the city issued a letter to the owner of the Old YMCA on Bridge Street that the property owner had one week to either demolish the structure or to appeal the city&#39;s decision. If neither occurs by the deadline, the city may take action to demolish the structure on its own.<br><br>The city is acting under its nuisance ordinance which provides for immediate demolition if the structure is viewed as being an &quot;imminent danger.&quot; Especially convenient is that such a designation eliminates the role and review conducted by the local Architectural Review Board.<br><br>If you don&#39;t like the idea of a demolition of a historic structure occurring under the cover of darkness, this story is of importance to you.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/08/old-ymca-frankfort.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/yge1kXBCQvg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/08/old-ymca-frankfort.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-64083507656336837502016-08-30T09:19:00.001-04:002016-08-30T09:19:58.143-04:00Floral Hall a Fascinating Treasure in Lexington<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bMq_YOVyApk/V8WCDlJOd9I/AAAAAAAAcd4/m-n9Kh6aCQUrnHmf7cNn0I4uAuH5PrTrACLcB/s1600/Floral%2BHall%2B1966%2BJohn%2BNoye.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bMq_YOVyApk/V8WCDlJOd9I/AAAAAAAAcd4/m-n9Kh6aCQUrnHmf7cNn0I4uAuH5PrTrACLcB/s1600/Floral%2BHall%2B1966%2BJohn%2BNoye.png"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floral Hall in 1966. Photograph by John Noye. <i>National Register Application</i>. </td></tr></tbody></table>If you pause to look down Red Mile Road as you cross the path&#39;s intersection with South Broadway, you have no doubt seen the iconic Floral Hall. It is a treasured landmark of Lexington, though its very likely you&#39;ve never been inside.<br><br>Designed by John McMurtry and completed in 1882 as a two-story octagonal building, the structure was added to a year after its completion with the addition of a third level. The building was commissioned by the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical Fair Association using funds appropriated to it by Congress for damages caused by Union troops during the Civil War.<br><br>The structure was named &quot;floral hall&quot; because it originally was a floral exhibition hall. Its use adapted over the years. The site&#39;s brochure states that &quot;when the city of Lexington expanded its boundaries, the city line cut through the grounds of the adjacent Red Mile trotting tack. Floral Hall remained outside the city limits, so the betting pools, the form of wagering on the races during that time, were conducted there.&quot;<br><br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/08/floral-hall.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/teyI7d_6DCY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/08/floral-hall.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-86523981457758185172016-08-11T09:42:00.001-04:002016-08-11T09:42:40.574-04:00Comment on the Kentucky State Road Plan to put a Stake in the Vampire Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wR1uwLk8ckA/V6xgm29MTyI/AAAAAAAAcNI/jDXje0pIYCUCvhixc8qoKc5MK9HXck4YgCLcB/s1600/Screenshot%2B2016-08-11%2B07.15.43.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wR1uwLk8ckA/V6xgm29MTyI/AAAAAAAAcNI/jDXje0pIYCUCvhixc8qoKc5MK9HXck4YgCLcB/s640/Screenshot%2B2016-08-11%2B07.15.43.png" width="640"></a></div><div>Over the years, I&#39;ve written several posts in opposition to the proposed I-75 Connector that would slice through Jessamine and Madison counties to connect Nicholasville with the interstate. The proposed road is expensive, wouldn&#39;t add much time savings for travelers, would destroy natural landscapes and historic places, and is an all-around bad idea. </div><div><br></div><div>In one post, I wrote about how the <a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2013/06/economics-of-i-75-connector-dont-add-up.html">Economics of I-75 Connector Don&#39;t Add Up</a>. The proposed cost of this 13-mile road is about $400-500 million. All to build a new road while existing infrastructure needs critical repairs. In another post, <a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2013/06/marblecreek.html">Marble Creek is a Jessamine County Treasure</a>, I observed that &quot;once lost, natural and historic resources cannot be created.&quot; There is too much to lose with the connector. </div><div><br></div><div>Since I published these posts, I&#39;ve gotten several inquiries on what people can do to stop the connector. How do we put a stake in the Vampire Road?<br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-es14qKa1-ME/V6x9rTVeWVI/AAAAAAAAcNY/noxQ3uYJlxcoGSH03Kg4-FZCFy2ucBOjgCLcB/s1600/Screenshot%2B2016-08-11%2B07.16.08.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-es14qKa1-ME/V6x9rTVeWVI/AAAAAAAAcNY/noxQ3uYJlxcoGSH03Kg4-FZCFy2ucBOjgCLcB/s640/Screenshot%2B2016-08-11%2B07.16.08.png" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Projected paths of the I-75 Connector<br></td></tr></tbody></table></div><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/08/comment-on-kentucky-state-road-plan-to.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/VreFG16K1uo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/08/comment-on-kentucky-state-road-plan-to.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-38253205769581654942016-08-10T11:09:00.002-04:002016-08-10T11:09:12.625-04:00Saturday: Hope House Home & Garden Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4nTqMRYQ1E/V6nDz3oDI3I/AAAAAAAAcMs/dLQCtGzbqHo638NjcuYbS8uKpuRjEhgswCLcB/s1600/Hope%2BHouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k4nTqMRYQ1E/V6nDz3oDI3I/AAAAAAAAcMs/dLQCtGzbqHo638NjcuYbS8uKpuRjEhgswCLcB/s1600/Hope%2BHouse.JPG"></a></div>Originally a Greek Revival-style home built circa 1841, Hope House faced Gratz Park. In 1897, Mrs. J.H. Davidson reoriented the house toward Third Street for her daughter’s debutante ball, converting it to Colonial Revival style and adding a 67-foot portico for parties and teas.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/08/saturday-hope-house-home-garden-tour.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/QX5yJjN51Dw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/08/saturday-hope-house-home-garden-tour.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-57282339017261257772016-08-09T08:44:00.000-04:002016-08-09T08:44:19.600-04:00An Early Stone House of Fayette County... to be Demolished?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ofL9E_R1JeQ/V6kxht-ZcHI/AAAAAAAAcMI/lq3HYRbV9W0KwZorthqkg0fnS3zgWm5GACLcB/s1600/John%2BBell%2BHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ofL9E_R1JeQ/V6kxht-ZcHI/AAAAAAAAcMI/lq3HYRbV9W0KwZorthqkg0fnS3zgWm5GACLcB/s1600/John%2BBell%2BHouse.jpg"></a></div><br>The four-bay, two-story John Bell House at 460 Greendale Road is the latest addition to our Demolition Watch. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, this residence was built in the first decade of the 1800s and is recognized as one of the early stone buildings of central Kentucky. That status is noted in Lexington&#39;s 2007 Comprehensive Plan (<a href="http://previous.lexingtonky.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx@documentid=1795">p. 302</a>).<br><br>In Clay Lancaster&#39;s 1955 writing on <i><a href="https://archive.org/stream/ClayLancasterAnteBellumSuburbanVillas0001/ClayLancasterAnteBellumSuburbanVillas0001_djvu.txt">Rural Residence of Fayette County</a>,</i> the subject property was included in a short list of the early stone houses. Describing that list, Lancaster wrote that &quot;they are not numerous.&quot;<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/08/an-early-stone-house-of-fayette-county.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/WPsHmznzYzU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/08/an-early-stone-house-of-fayette-county.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-74353416941704709922016-07-28T23:19:00.001-04:002016-07-28T23:19:13.837-04:00555 North Broadway Restored<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0x8JS6NGD-I/V5rHQBpYOnI/AAAAAAAAZjI/-LXODrV-yKkTt8yLQGmL_7Z2rxYbRpyUgCLcB/s1600/555%2BN%2BBroadway%2BBefore%2B%2526%2BAfter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0x8JS6NGD-I/V5rHQBpYOnI/AAAAAAAAZjI/-LXODrV-yKkTt8yLQGmL_7Z2rxYbRpyUgCLcB/s640/555%2BN%2BBroadway%2BBefore%2B%2526%2BAfter.jpg" width="640"></a></div>Join the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation&#39;s monthly deTours program on Wednesday, August 3, as we tour 555 North Broadway, a meticulously restored house in the Northside Historic District by architects Joe Turley and Maureen Peters. We will gather at 5:30 pm and the deTour will begin at 5:45 pm. As always, BGT deTours are free and open to the public. On-street parking is available along Sixth Street and on Fayette Park.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/07/555-north-broadway-restored.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/KAYToYom918" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/07/555-north-broadway-restored.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-11546961313279960662016-04-02T09:21:00.000-04:002016-04-02T09:21:48.332-04:00deTouring Rupp Arena (Home of the Greatest Tradition in College Basketball)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LbVKuuRnuzE/Vv_BnwCy36I/AAAAAAAAJJA/-L8hfIBKMA4Q6e-jWUIlCfD1CQGFJQBJw/s1600/UK%2BEntrance%2B1991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LbVKuuRnuzE/Vv_BnwCy36I/AAAAAAAAJJA/-L8hfIBKMA4Q6e-jWUIlCfD1CQGFJQBJw/s1600/UK%2BEntrance%2B1991.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Rupp Arena. <i>University of Kentucky Archives.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>On Monday evening, one of four teams will be crowned the NCAA Champion. For basketball fans (which is all of us, right?), you can probably already hear the lyrics sung by Luther Vandross to <i>One Magic Moment</i>. Right?<br><br>The Final Four was once held, in 1985, in Lexington, Kentucky at Rupp Arena. It was a memorable performance as the underdog Villanova went on to beat favorite Georgetown.<br><br>Yes, the tradition of college basketball is rich in Lexington and at Rupp Arena.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/04/detouring-rupp-arena-home-of-greatest.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/O32XoFvg7Fs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/04/detouring-rupp-arena-home-of-greatest.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-17708067510016162152016-03-08T09:59:00.001-05:002016-03-08T11:52:11.599-05:00339 Jefferson Faces Wrecking Ball<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eMoudhr1PBo/Vt7i1oeI8yI/AAAAAAAAJHM/4uTEFHyo-Wk/s1600/339%2BJefferson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eMoudhr1PBo/Vt7i1oeI8yI/AAAAAAAAJHM/4uTEFHyo-Wk/s1600/339%2BJefferson.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">339 Jefferson Street. <i><a href="http://qpublic9.qpublic.net/ky_fayette_display.php?county=ky_fayette&amp;KEY=11306100">Fayette PVA</a></i>. </td></tr></tbody></table>With spring comes the blossoming buds of the flowers, but it also seems to bring the wrecking ball. On March 4, 2016, a <a href="http://lfucg.github.io/statuslex/details.html?type=permit&amp;ID=31147">demolition permit</a> was sought for 339 Jefferson Street.<br><br>The old house, according to records of the <a href="http://qpublic9.qpublic.net/ky_fayette_display.php?county=ky_fayette&amp;KEY=11306100">Fayette County PVA</a>, was built around 1890* and is another example of Lexington&#39;s disappearing vernacular architecture. The property owner as of January 1 was Dixon Enterprises, LLC, but the demolition permit reveals that LFUCG Code Enforcement is the applicant/owner. Dixon owns a significant amount of the center of the block.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/03/339-jefferson-faces-wrecking-ball.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/mThUDRVtWgo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/03/339-jefferson-faces-wrecking-ball.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-72254795406728028562016-02-25T22:21:00.000-05:002016-02-25T22:25:09.720-05:00The Lexington Country Club<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RLjZP3eO29Y/Vs_EMHFEomI/AAAAAAAAJGY/jHJD9OgirPc/s1600/lexington%2Bcountry%2Bclub%2B2016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RLjZP3eO29Y/Vs_EMHFEomI/AAAAAAAAJGY/jHJD9OgirPc/s1600/lexington%2Bcountry%2Bclub%2B2016.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lexington Country Club in 2016. <i>Author&#39;s Collection.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>The charter member list of the Lexington County Club reads as a &quot;who&#39;s who&quot; of Lexington at the turn of the twentieth century. This first social club in Lexington was modeled after the clubs common and popular in larger cities in the eastern United States so that these leaders (men only) would have a place to relax. The <i>Lexington Leader</i>, then the local Republican newspaper, outlined the club&#39;s purpose for prospective members and donors:<br><blockquote class="tr_bq">Think of having a charming place near town in easy driving distance, with an opportunity to enjoy country life in its most finished sense! Where men after business hours can go and take their families and guests for luncheon or dinner, outdoor and indoor games, where there are beautiful lawns and tennis and golf grounds and society in general go for dances and all sorts of diversions. In this way the most wholesome kind of social enjoyment can be developed and people have that for which they so often long and sign, a perfect resort for entertainment outside of their own homes. In nearly ever other city in America there is something on this order - a country club or a hunting club.<br></blockquote><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/02/lexington-country-club.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/KufDXx3V8d4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com02550 Paris Pike, Lexington, KY 40511, USA38.083195 -84.44151999999996912.561160500000003 -125.75011399999997 63.605229500000007 -43.132925999999969http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/02/lexington-country-club.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-30114187719820667012016-01-26T16:56:00.000-05:002016-01-26T16:56:13.327-05:00Mayor Jim Gray is Running for the U.S. Senate<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkdLPBZDlrw/VqfbWVrpDxI/AAAAAAAAJEA/EXJ1tOoQW8o/s1600/The%2BMayor%2Band%2BI.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkdLPBZDlrw/VqfbWVrpDxI/AAAAAAAAJEA/EXJ1tOoQW8o/s1600/The%2BMayor%2Band%2BI.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1JCGIuV"><i>Lost Lexington</i> </a>author Peter Brackney and the author of the book&#39;s foreword, Mayor Jim Gray, in the Mayor&#39;s Office. </td></tr></tbody></table>On November 4, 2014, Mayor Jim Gray was re-elected mayor of Lexington. Also on that date, my book <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1JCGIuV">Lost Lexington</a> </i>was published. I was fortunate enough that the good Mayor penned the foreword to that book.<br><br>Though his family and he have had their success in the development and construction sector, Mayor Jim Gray is a friend to historic preservation. He is a leader who does not cut corners, but instead looks for forward-thinking, long-term solutions.<br><br>Did I mention that Mayor Gray is a supporter of preserving our cultural heritage?<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/01/mayor-jim-gray-is-running-for-us-senate.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/bjOWfObzm5g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2016/01/mayor-jim-gray-is-running-for-us-senate.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-78534496790646116492015-12-31T12:17:00.000-05:002015-12-31T12:17:04.245-05:005 in ’15: The Best of the Kaintuckeean in 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1yztsq0JJxg/VoVik0QDGLI/AAAAAAAAJCQ/DmXP2hxW-K4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-12-31%2Bat%2B9.03.00%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1yztsq0JJxg/VoVik0QDGLI/AAAAAAAAJCQ/DmXP2hxW-K4/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-12-31%2Bat%2B9.03.00%2BAM.png"></a></div>The majority of posts on this site focus on Lexington, Kentucky history and historic preservation. But looking back at 2015’s most popular posts on the Kaintuckeean revealed a couple of fascinating details. One big overservation was that 4 of the 5 most popular posts were about subjects outside of Fayette County. That’s because, well, “<a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2013/01/what-kicks-ass-kentucky-does.html">Kentucky Kicks Ass</a>.”<br><br>And 2 were from Nicholasville! So read on and discover the posts. Last year, I included the page of my book, <a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/p/lost-lexington.html">Lost Lexington</a>, in the rankings. Though it would have been #3 this year, I opted to include only posts. But thanks for continuing to love the book!<br><br><h3>#1: Graded School Ruins Along the Dawkins Trail</h3><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/11/graded-school-ruins-along-dawkins-trail.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i9K31LKfJrk/VllIDw3FZAI/AAAAAAAAI98/fkrArxvnKq4/s1600/Ivyton%2BSchool%2Bfrom%2BDawkins%2BLine.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ivyton School in Magoffin County can be spotted from the junction of the Dawkins Trail and the Mountain Parkway.</td></tr></tbody></table>Read More:<a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/11/graded-school-ruins-along-dawkins-trail.html"> Graded School Ruins Along the Dawkins Trail</a><br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/12/5-in-15-best-of-kaintuckeean-in-2015.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/SswYQ4aU5sU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/12/5-in-15-best-of-kaintuckeean-in-2015.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-54100758680297719912015-12-24T14:59:00.002-05:002015-12-24T14:59:40.205-05:00This Christmas, Remember The Christmas Truce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1OTdMjx" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OTsCW8dsFAA/VnxB5VoxOqI/AAAAAAAAJAY/FySSa7ifPuw/s1600/Christmas%2BTruce.jpg"></a></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Oh, the snowflakes fell in silence</i><br><i>Over Belleau Wood that night</i><br><i>For a Christmas truce had been declared</i><br><i>By both sides of the fight. </i></blockquote><br>These lyrics from one of Garth Brooks&#39; songs inspired my intrigue in the Christmas Truce of World War I ever since the song was released nearly 20 years ago. And while I&#39;m passionate about Kentucky history, I&#39;m admittedly unversed on world history of the 20th century (an indictment on both what we teach in American schools and on my own collegiate course selection). So I took Garth at his word.<br><br>But stories of the Christmas Truce originated following the holiday in 1914 in the early years of The Great War, while the Battle of Belleau Wood didn&#39;t occur until 1918. And the clincher is that the Battle of Belleau Wood happened in June. Garth was wrong.<br><br>The common notions regarding the Christmas Truce, which I&#39;d been taught to believe, were wrong.<br><br>Which is why I was quite pleased to find myself seated next to Terri Crocker at the <a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/11/kentucky-book-fair-is-this-weekend.html">Kentucky Book Fair</a> last month. She is the author of <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1OTdMjx">The Christmas Truce</a> </i>(University Press of Kentucky, 2015; $40.00). A New Yorker by birth, Crocker is a PhD candidate at the University of Kentucky where she also works as a paralegal. Her historical passion and investigative nature are what make <i>The Christmas Truce</i> such an excellent work.<br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/12/this-christmas-remember-christmas-truce.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/mMElzWgaV4A" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/12/this-christmas-remember-christmas-truce.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-12013560073303961062015-11-30T09:00:00.000-05:002015-11-30T09:00:06.595-05:00Recognizing and Preserving Our "Venerable Trees"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1PvsFZ1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dHnJs4PPgik/ViWFZBdTg4I/AAAAAAAAIzk/H85Xa_pCZDo/s1600/Book-Cover-348x500.png"></a></div>I first learned of Tom Kimmerer and his work during the late summer and into the fall of 2014 with the news related to a Ball Homes’ development near Harrodsburg Road and Military Pike that threatened a nearly 500 year-old bur oak. The developer hired Kimmerer to create a preservation plan for this ‘venerable’ tree which stands on a bluff above the old South Elkhorn schoolhouse. For the tree preservation plan, Ball Homes earned an award from the Lexington-Fayette Environmental Commission. <br><br>Although the preservation of historic buildings has been at times fiercely discussed over the past half-century in Lexington (at times more passionately than at others), the fight over the preservation of historic trees has not drawn the same level of attention. But the preservation of the Old Schoolhouse Oak may be a game changer. <br><br>And the premier guidebook for the preservation of trees was recently published by the University Press of Kentucky. The author, not surprisingly, was Tom Kimmerer. Kimmerer’s <i><a href="http://amzn.to/1PvsFZ1">Venerable Trees: History, Biology, and Conservation in the Bluegrass</a></i> is a self-described &quot;celebration of the long relationship between people and trees and a cautionary tale of what happens when we neglect that relationship.&quot;<br><br><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/11/recognizing-and-preserving-our.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/xxVtX5Ak7A0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/11/recognizing-and-preserving-our.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8014247322501395221.post-55689896226638336262015-11-29T16:00:00.000-05:002015-11-29T16:00:02.123-05:00Graded School Ruins Along the Dawkins Trail<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciFWej5F1qc/VllCwjvnO5I/AAAAAAAAI9Q/UiYAhnnzwZs/s1600/Ivyton%2BSchool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciFWej5F1qc/VllCwjvnO5I/AAAAAAAAI9Q/UiYAhnnzwZs/s1600/Ivyton%2BSchool.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ivyton Graded School - Ivyton, Ky. <i>Author&#39;s collection.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewroman&quot;; font-size: 12.000000pt;">Harold Ickes <a href="http://heritage.ky.gov/nr/rdonlyres/f142a86e-19c0-4ffd-8097-09474f37c9ef/0/newdealbuilds.pdf">said</a> that &quot;t</span><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewroman&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">he new rural schools, made possible by good roads, are quite as modern as the best city schools. Where it was necessary to have eight one-room schools in the past, there is now a single eight-room school.&quot; Ickes would know: he served as President Franklin Roosevelt&#39;s Interior Secretary and was responsible for implementing the New Deal. </span><br><div class="page" title="Page 26"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewroman&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewroman&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">Although a number of New Deal programs were involved in building new schools, the Works Progress Administration was the most active. </span><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewroman&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">The WPA channeled “more than $162 million through thousands of state projects and had as many as seventy-two thousand Kentuckians on the </span><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewroman&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">payroll in the September 1938 peak.” (Blakey 1986, 59). </span><br><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewroman&quot;; font-size: 12pt;"><br></span><span style="font-family: &quot;timesnewroman&quot;; font-size: 12pt;">One of those schools is the old Ivyton Graded School which is located just off the Mountain Parkway in Magoffin County. Perhaps you have noticed the ruins on the northern side of the roadway.</span><br></div></div></div><a href="http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/11/graded-school-ruins-along-dawkins-trail.html#more">There's more! Keep reading... »</a><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Kaintuckeean/~4/DEOvL1IIwus" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>Peter Brackneyhttps://plus.google.com/104299278998803512442noreply@blogger.com0http://www.kaintuckeean.com/2015/11/graded-school-ruins-along-dawkins-trail.html